Axel Allam, Media365, published on Friday, July 5, 2024 at 11:48 PM.
In a balanced match, which was not decided until the end, the Blues faced Portugal on penalties (0-0; 3 shots on target to 5). Spain will therefore be on the list for the quarter-finals.
This Portugal-France festival was not expected to be a festival of events, and that was indeed the case for 45 minutes.On Friday evening, at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, chances for excitement were rare as the two teams maintained respect for each other throughout the encounter. Positioned in the middle, in support of Randal Kolo Muani and Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann did not particularly shine, even if he combined with Kylian Mbappé before his shot was blocked (min. 28). Before that, there was a powerful shot by Theo Hernandez, which was saved by goalkeeper Diogo Costa (min. 20). In the defensive axis, William Saliba confirmed his high-level heroism, with several authoritarian interventions in the face of (very few) attacks by Cristiano Ronaldo, but it was not to his advantage.
Maignan as saviour, Dembele turns
At the break, it was not surprising to see the two choices in a row. On the other hand, the second half began with a more general dynamic. After Randal Kolo Muani was pressed with his back to goal, Kylian Mbappé tested Diogo Costa (min 50), and in the meantime a low cross from Theo Hernandez unfortunately did not find the target. With a header, Bernardo Silva sent the ball to the mask (and temple) of Kylian Mbappé, who was injured on his return to defense. After removing his mask and being quickly treated, the Blues captain quickly resumed his place on the field. The castle guard, Mike Maegan justified his position with two great saves against Bruno Fernandes (61) and then a close-range shot from Vitinha (63).
The Blues could have been happy too, but Ruben Dias's intervention saved Kolo Muani's cross while Diogo Costa appeared to be beaten (66). Despite his humble demeanour despite his role as captain, Griezmann was replaced by Ousmane Dembele, with the idea of shaking up the Portugal defence. The winger was one-on-one with Pepe and Nuno Mendes, allowing Camavinga to capitalise on a golden opportunity, but the ball missed the post by Diogo Costa (70). In a brilliant performance, Dembele, once again, continued to hurt Portugal, narrowly missing the target with a curling shot that went close to the opposite corner (74).After an exciting end to the match in regular time, and a last chance for Mbappe after the conversion (90+2), the result did not change yet, heading to extra time.
More skilled in penalty shootouts, the Blues will face Spain in the semi-finals.
Pepe, despite the heavy time, showed his defensive skills in the face of Mbappé's shot after Dembélé's cross (97). The score did not settle and at the start of the second half of extra time, Bradley Barcola replaced the diminished Kylian Mbappé. Despite his relief, the new international was also unable to find the net and thus had to go to the decisive penalty shootout. In this record, the Blues were the better side, while Joao Felix missed his attempt and Theo Hernandez became the hero of the evening. France and Spain will meet on Tuesday in Munich in the semi-finals of the 2024 European Nations Championship.
